Dental materials generally have unique requirements as compared to the broad spectrum of composite materials. For health reasons, dental materials should be suitable for use in the oral environment. In certain instances, durability of a dental material is important to ensure satisfactory performance. For example, high strength and durability is desirable for dental work that is performed at dentition locations where mastication forces are generally great. In other instances, aesthetic character or quality is highly desired. This is often the case where dental work is performed at locations where a tooth repair or restoration can be seen from a relatively short distance.
It is also generally desired that the dental restorative material blend well with the surrounding dentition and that the dental restorative material looks life-like. Aesthetic quality in dental materials is typically achieved by creating material that has tooth-like colors/shades. Many fills, however, generally have less mechanical strength than is desired.
Radiopacity of a dental material can also be useful in dentistry. Radiopaque composites can be examined using standard dental X-ray equipment, thereby facilitating long term detection of marginal leakage or caries in tooth tissues adjacent to a cured composite.